Packed Florida ballot could bring long lines on Election Day

More than 100 proposals to change Florida’s constitution are currently being vetted by the Constitution Revision Commission.

TALLAHASSEE — A ballot bulging with candidates and proposed constitutional amendments means Florida voters could endure long lines on Election Day this November, officials warn.

The Nov. 6 election features contests for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, three Cabinet officers, state House, state Senate and county commission seats. Then voters will have to wade through 13 proposed changes to the state constitution, a long list that has election officers particularly worried.

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"As we learned in 2012, the longer the ballot, the longer the line," said Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Michael Ertel. "Our voters will be in the voting booth oftentimes reading these amendments for the first time while they're in the voting booth ... so they're taking their time."

In 2012, many precincts in South Florida were swampedon Election Day as voters considered 12 ballot measures, waiting in line for hours in some cases and delaying official results, leading some to question whether some voters left in frustration.

This year, eight of the proposed constitutional amendments were placed there by the Constitution Revision Commission, a panel that meets every 20 years to offer changes to the state's governing document. The other five were approved by the Legislature or through petition drives.

Ertel said he was concerned about the CRC placing too many referendums on the ballot but said the eight that passed were fewer than he thought. Still, he's begun social media and mail campaigns encouraging voters to request absentee ballots or vote early to avoid lines.

"We know that there's going to be long lines, so we're preparing for the highest possible turnout in every potential location that people can vote so that if that happens to be the route they choose ... then we're prepared for it," Ertel said.

CRC member Don Gaetz, a former GOP Senate President from Niceville, said the panel could have grouped more issues together to reduce the number of referendums, but that would've led to more confusion by voters.

"I'm sure there'll be supervisors of elections who'll say, 'Gee, we're going to have to print a separate card, it's going to cost us more postage,' " Gaetz said. "Those are not killer issues for me. I wish we would have a shorter ballot, but I don't think that this will be fatal."

Homestead exemption (Amendment 1) — Adds $25,000 to the homestead property exemption for all property valued at more than $200,000, bringing total exemption to $75,000 for all property taxes, with the exception of school district taxes.

Voting rights for ex-felons(Amendment 4) — Automatically restores voting rights to ex-felons after they complete their sentence, including parole and probation. It would not apply to those convicted of murder or felony sexual offenses.

Taxes (Amendment 5) — Requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Legislature to approve any new tax or fee increase.

Victims’ rights and judges (Amendment 6) — Establishes rights for crime victims, including notification of major developments in criminal cases and the right to be heard in legal proceedings. Also would increase mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 75 and provide that judges or hearing officers should not necessarily defer to the interpretation of laws and rules by governmental agencies in legal proceedings.

First responders and higher education (Amendment 7) —Requires the payment of death benefits when law enforcement officers, paramedics, correctional officers and other first responders are killed on duty. Also would establish a governance system for the 28 state and community colleges and require a supermajority vote by university boards of trustees and the Board of Governors when raising student fees.

Public schools (Amendment 8) — Imposes an eight-year term limit on school board members. It would allow an alternative process for approving charter schools rather than by local school boards and establish a requirement for the teaching of civic literacy in public schools.

Oil drilling and vaping oil (Amendment 9) — Prohibits drilling for gas and oil in state coastal waters and ban vaping and the use of electronic cigarettes in workplaces.

Governmental structure (Amendment 10) — Requires all charter-county governments to have elected constitutional officers, including sheriffs. Requires the Legislature to start its annual session in January in even-numbered years. It would create an Office of Domestic Security and Counterterrorism in the Department of Law Enforcement and revise the constitutional authority for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Property rights and High-speed rail (Amendment 11) — Removes language that prohibits “aliens ineligible for citizenship” from owning property. It would remove obsolete language that authorizes a high-speed rail system. It would revise language to make clear that the repeal of a criminal statute does not affect the prosecution of any crime committed before the repeal.

Ethics (Amendment 12) — Imposes a six-year lobbying ban on former state elected officials, state agencies heads and local elected officials. It would also create a new ethics standard for public officials.